


Nursemaid

by phaedra4



Category: Warcraft (2016)
Genre: F/M, Fluff, bit of Violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-06-24
Updated: 2016-06-24
Packaged: 2018-07-17 23:39:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,587
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7290736
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/phaedra4/pseuds/phaedra4
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Porenn gets sick and Khadgar takes on the role of nursemaid.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Nursemaid

The horses ran hard.   
Porenn, Lothar and their men pushed them harder than they knew they should’ve. The terrain was treacherous underfoot for the horses. They pounded over a terrain littered with rocks and roots and a thousand other hidden dangers that could easily snap a leg, but Lothar pushed the animals, and their riders, hard.   
Porenn leaned low in her saddle, streamlining herself against her horse, Ruin’s, neck. A thunderous rain hammered down on them and her long hair was soaked, dripping and sticking to her face and neck, but she ignored the annoyance and rode hard.   
She had never been a natural rider but had spent years training and working with the gelding that the two were so attuned to each other that she could control him easily with a simple tug at the reins or a slight increase of the pressure of her knees. He reacted to her every whim and desire as though their minds where one.   
Lothar led them. Himself, Porenn and two other men, through the dense Silverpine forest. It had been a scouting mission undertaken after a recent visit to the Alterac Mountains to meet with Lord Perenolde. Lothar was there on Alliance business and had asked his General to join him. Not having much of a mind of politics Porenn went with him for the adventure more than anything else.   
Lord Perenolde had told them of trouble he had been having with bands of Forsaken raiding in the Valley and of course Lothar had leapt at the chance to investigate.   
Since losing his son he had been filled with an intense desire for purpose. He had to be doing something, anything, at all times. To keep his mind occupied. Porenn, like his sister Taria, was concerned about him and she often went with him at the Queen’s request, to keep him safe should his grief make him reckless.   
They had been traipsing through the forest for three straight days, having tracked the Forsaken back to Silverpine. Anduin, Porenn, six of their men and of course Khadgar, who went everywhere the Commander and his General did. He claimed it was for his benefit, claiming seeing more of the world and learning about it from them would aid him when it was time for him to take up the mantle of Guardian. But they both knew it was his reluctance to return to the Kirin Tor and his infatuation with the young General that really kept him around.   
For days they hadn’t had so much of a glimpse of the Forsaken, following tracks and often short trails of destruction, but finally, after a week on their tail they had caught sight of them.   
They had been setting up camp for the night when a slight movement in the trees caught Rowan’s eye and he alerted Porenn and Lothar. A minute later the three of them and Ashlan had been mounted and had taken up chase.   
“COMMANDER!” Ashlan bellowed, fighting to be heard over the sound of the rain in the trees above them. He pointed eastwards, where a handful of figures could be seen fleeing through the trees.   
They each pulled hard on their reins and forced their steeds into a sudden change of direction. In front of her Lothar leaned up in his saddle and launched his spear through the trees. They heard a scream and a thud as it exploded through the chest of one of the Forsaken and he fell face down into the dense underbrush, dead.   
The others split into two groups and scattered, running through the trees. Lothar sped on and Porenn turned to pursue one of the fleeing beasts.   
She was pushing Ruin hard when one of the Forsaken burst out of the underbrush right in front of her. Ruin screamed and reared up, kicking his forelegs in fear and throwing her from the saddle.   
Without pausing Porenn turned to face the Forsaken in front of her. The thing was repulsive to behold. It’s skin grey and mottled and coming away from the stark white bone in several places. The smell of death hung around it and she wrinkled her nose against the stench.   
It lunched at her with a foot long knife and she stepped back, easily dodging the blade and unsheathing her sword.   
Ducking quickly under a lazy slash of the blade she twisted and brought her own blade up, slicing the thing from navel to shoulder in one smooth movement and slamming the flat over her foot into its chest, shoving back into the underbrush as it crumbled into a heap of dead flesh and bone.   
She wiped rain from her eyes with the back of her hand and was about to sheath her blade when something slammed into her from the side and she went tumbling through the trees, rolling down a verge hidden by bushes.  
She tumbled through the undergrowth, a tangle of limbs caught up with the Forsaken that that had tackled her until they both came spilling out into a shallow yet icy stream.   
Before she could regain her feet the Forsaken was on her, locking its arms around her to pin hers down and throwing them both backwards into the water. Porenn strained against its hold and grunted in pain as she slammed her forehead into its face. It fell backwards, howling and clutching a broken nose and she leapt on top of it, pinning it down and striking it in the face with a solid fist over and over until it went limp and lay still, a bloody mass of flesh. She panted as she pulled herself back to her feet and watched the blood trickle away in the icy water as she retrieved her sword from where it had landed by the banks of the stream.   
She put those deaths to the back of her mind. More blood on her hands.   
A freezing was howling and buffeting her as she climbed back up the verge, chilling her to the bone. Already wet from the rain and now completely soaked from her unplanned dip in the stream Porenn was dripping where she walked and soon her temperature had dropped considerably and by the time she re-emerged over the top of the rise she was dithering, frozen and ill-tempered.   
At the top of the verge she found Rowan still mounted on his grey stallion holding Ruin’s reins.  
She saw the corners of his mouth begin to curl into a smile “Don’t!” she warned him, pointing a dangerous finger his way “One word, just one and I’ll cut your head off, scoop your brains out and use your skull as a bowl.” she threated as she climbed back into her saddle. Ruin nickered and she patted him affectionately on the neck with a freezing hand.  
“Understood General” Rowan nodded, with more than a lilt of amusement in his voice. 

It was almost an hour until they were finally back in the clearing they’d set up camp in. It had taken a short while to link back up with Lothar and Ashlan and once they did they headed back towards camp at a steady trot, letting the horses take it easily after maintaining a dead gallop for so long.   
Porenn was shaking violently by the time they arrived. The rain had stopped but the winds still howled and cut through her right to her bitterly frozen bones.   
She couldn’t ever remember that cold before in her life and wasn’t surprised that her fingers had started to turn blue.   
Her jointed ached with stiffness as she dismounted Ruin and handed his reins over to one of the other soldiers, a young boy who was there by pure chance.  
“Oh my god, what happened out there?” Khadgar asked as he marched over to her.  
“Fell into a damn stream” she grumbled, glaring at Rowan’s back as his shoulders shook with silent laughter.   
Khadgar began to unclip her breastplate whilst she kicked out of her boots. The wet clothes where only making her colder and if she didn’t get out of them soon she would risk frostbite.   
“Here” Lothar said, pulling one of his own spare shirts out of his saddle bag and throwing it to them. Khadgar caught it and slung it over his shoulder as her breastplate fell to her feet and she started to shuffle out of the dripping breeches.   
“My god your skin is like ice” Fear was in Khadgar’s eyes. He unclipped his own cloak and pulled it off.  
“I’m so cold Khad” she whispered, unable to stop herself from trembling. The nearby fire over which a pair of grouse were roasting only just took the edge off the piercing wind.  
“I know baby I know” he smiled, rubbing her arms “We’ll have you warmed up in no time.” She turned her back to the camp and the men huddled around the fire, drying themselves off and tearing bits of meat of bone, and shimmied out of her smallclothes. Khadgar held his cloak up as a makeshift screen to give her some modesty but couldn’t help but swallow and feel the blood rush to his cheeks at the sight of her pale porcelain skin. No matter how many time they had been together the sight of her naked always took his breath away.   
She pulled Lothar’s shirt on, the soft material falling to her mid thighs, and wrapped her arms around herself. Khadgar smiled sympathetically at her and draped his cloak around her shoulders, wrapping it around her and pulling the hood up.   
He smiled down at her. She looked tiny in the clothes of the two men and he leaned in for a chaste kiss.   
“Hungry?” Lothar asked, appearing next to her holding half a grouse when she stepped into Khadgar’s arms and huddled against his chest for warmth.   
“No, thank you” she mumbled.   
Lothar shrugged and wondered off back to the fire. 

A while later, when everyone else had finally retired to bed Porenn lay on her back in the small tent she was sharing with Khadgar, still wrapped in his cloak. She loved his cloak and adored the occasions when he would let her wear it. It was thicker than her own but also softer and felt heavenly against her goose fleshed skin. She always felt a sense of comfort and security whenever she was enveloped in his cloak and on the nights he stayed up reading and so immersed in research he forgot to come to bed she would often sleep wrapped up in it, comforted by the way it smelled of him.   
Her legs were tangled in Khadgar’s, pulled in between his thighs to share his warmth. He was propped up on an elbow, looking down at her as he ran his hand over her body, using his magic to circulate warmth back into her. The pale light and runes hovered around his hand and fingers as they always did when he was using magic and this time he used it to spread warmth back into her icy bones, his fingers ever so gently ghosting over her skin.  
“Khad?” she said without opening her eyes.  
“Mmhm?” he replied. His hand ran softly over her hair, gently drying the black mass of wavy strands, fanning it out next to her head.  
“Take your shirtsleeves off.”  
He laughed softly “You trying to get me into bed?” he joked, stroking the side of her face with his thumb. She shivered at the way his magic felt against her skin. Like a thousand tiny bolts of lightning caressing her face, making it almost tingle painlessly.   
Her eyes opened and she laughed as she looked up at him “No idiot” she chuckled “I’m still cold, I want to steal your body heat.”  
Khadgar leaned in for a long kiss before pulling his shirtsleeves off over his head as he let his spell dwindle and die for a moment. She smiled as her heavy eyes fell shut again and shuffled closer to him to lie against his chest, nestling her face in between his neck and shoulder and sighing with content when he kissed the top of her head and wrapped his arms around her middle.   
“You gotta stop almost dying on me.” he said, continuing with his magic aided warming after recasting his spell.   
He felt her lips curve into a smile against his neck “This is the last time, I promise.” she mumbled.   
“I’m serous” he said, gliding his magic over her thigh “I don’t want to lose you.”  
She shifted, turning to lie more on her side. She slid her hand up from his wrist to his bicep and gave him a comforting squeeze. She had been pleasantly surprised the first time she had seen Khadgar shirtless. She hadn’t been expecting him to have such broad shoulders or such a well-built, toned physique. She loved how much bigger than her he was. She loved how tiny she felt when his arms engulfed her. Despite the fact she had small hands, even with her fingers splayed she still couldn’t cover the width of his bicep with her hand.   
“You’re not going to. I promise.” She said, lifting her head to kiss him “I can take care of myself.”  
He kissed her forehead and cradled her head against his chest “I know you can. I just…” he sighed before continuing “I’m really in love with you.”  
He muttered that so quietly she barely heard him and she easily picked up on his anxiety. He had told her he loved her before, but being in love was something very different.   
She couldn’t help but grin “I love you too Khad. More than you know.” She told him. 

 

Khadgar jolted awake when Lothar pulled back the tent flap and kicked his still booted feet. He jerked and sat up, confused and still half asleep. He frowned at the empty tent and looked at Lothar “Get up” the older man said.   
He pulled his shirtsleeves on and grabbed his tunic “Where’s Renn?” not only was she gone but his cloak was too.   
“Out here, she needs you.”  
Outside their small camp was bathed in the dull grey light that signalled another wet and overcast day. The wind had died down but it was still cold outside and Khadgar shivered and hurriedly pulled his tunic on.   
A small fire had been lit and over it a cookpot hung, full of what looked like a very lumpy porridge. Porenn was sat on a fallen log facing the fire, huddled in his cloak and back in her now dry breeches.   
He took only one look at her and knew he had to get her back to Stormwind. She looked like death, she was shaking violently and her slender body was being wracked by an intense hacking cough. He could hear the rattle in her chest. Her skin was covered with a thin sheen of sweat and she looked pale and tired. She had bags under her eyes and her cheeks where flushed and red.   
Sitting beside her he placed a hand on her forehead.   
“You’re burning hot baby.” he muttered, running a sympathetic hand over the back of her head.   
She smiled and chuckled through her coughing “You’re pretty cute yourself.” She winked at him before descending into another violent bout of coughing.  
“She needs to go home.” Lothar said, standing over her with his hands on his hips and looking every inch the overly concerned mother.   
She shook her head furiously and fought her cough down, slapping Khadgar’s fussing hands away from her “No, no I’m fine. It’s nothing.” She said, getting to her feet. Khadgar mirrored her, keeping his hands close.   
She stepped over the log and made to start walking back to their tent but barely managed steps when her aching legs gave out and she fell, Khadgar catching her before she could crash to the ground and pulling her back up into his arms.  
“Okay that’s it, we’re going back to Stormwind.”   
“No I’m fine.” She whined, stepping back but holding onto his forearms for support. She pouted at him and he frowned and shook his head. Her pouty face wouldn’t work this time.   
“That’s not going to work.” He told her. She huffed.   
Ten minutes later she was stood in the middle of his hastily created portal with him, still shivering and holding onto him to keep herself upright. She wouldn’t admit it but she’d have collapsed without him. Her head pounded and her bones ached.  
“Keep him safe Lothar or I’ll skin you and wear you as a cloak” she threatened, glaring at him as he stood grinning and rubbing Ruin on the neck.   
“I shall guard him with my life” he said with his hand on his heart. She glared again.  
Khadgar tightened his grip on her and said “We’ll see you in a few days.”  
“Take care of her spell-chucker.” Lothar told him, with more than just a hint of a warning in his tone.  
Khadgar nodded “Of course.” He allowed the spell to complete and the two of them disappeared in a flash of blue light. 

She was drowning in a sea of pillows. They had been back at Stormwind for two days and Khadgar had refused to let her leave their room. She was sick, sicker than she’d ever been in her whole life and though she wouldn’t admit it, she was too sick to even go anywhere anyway.   
Khadgar had taken to his role of nurse maid like a natural and had spent the last two days doing everything for her and treating her like she was made of porcelain.   
Porenn had been only 11 years old when she’d left home to begin training as a soldier. She’d never had much of a childhood and couldn’t remember much of her mother. But the way Khadgar had been acting for the past two days reminded her very much of a fussy mother taking care of a sick babe.   
Porenn was a hard women. She could take care of herself. She’d taken care of herself for a very long time. She could do all the basics of course, like feed and bathe and clothe herself. She could survive off the land should she need to. Most of all she could keep herself alive. She had always prided herself on that. On her skills in battle and penchant for survival.   
She had been sick before, plenty of times, and she had always taken care of herself. But she had never been in love like this before and with Khadgar around, everything was different this time. She didn’t have to take care of herself. He was there to do it for her. Because he wanted to.   
She was propped up on a mountain of pillows at the head of their bed.   
When they’d arrived back in Stormwind he had settled her in their bed before going to find Taria to let them know they were back and she had supplied extra pillows at his insistent request and had had hot food sent up to their rooms as soon as possible.  
Porenn thought the amount of pillows was excessive, but Khadgar would hear no complaints.  
He was sat on the bottom end of their bed with her feet pulled over his hips either side of him.   
“Watch this” he said, summoning magic into both his hands, green this time as opposed to the usual blue. He had taken it upon himself to keep her entertained whilst she battled the nasty virus she had picked up.  
He brought his hands up in front of his face. A shower of tiny flowers erupted out of his hands when he clapped them together. All kinds of colours, blues and purples and oranges and yellows and all made the same light that always made up his magic. She stared in wonder, grinning widely as they all rushed up into the air before starting to float gently down around her. She smiled, her eyes lit up in amazement and held her hands out to catch some of them as they floated around her, landing on her and the blanks.  
“Nice huh?” Khadgar asked with a grin, smiling at the how impressed she was.   
“They’re beautiful” she said, admiring the tiny purple flower of light that had landed on the tip of her left index finger “I had no idea you were so talented.” She remark, smirking cheekily. A sudden urge to grab her face and kiss her washed over him.   
“You’re lucky you’re sick or I’d make you pay for that” he warned her, stroking her leg.   
She blew him a kiss “Show me something else.”  
He nodded “Uhh okay, hold on.” He paused to think for a moment before bringing his hands together again and spreading them, weaving magic between them. He held the ball of magic between his hands for a moment, turning it over in his hands “throw that at the door” he said, nodding at the empty cup beside her. She looked at him and frowned “trust me, throw it.” He said with a playful smile on his lips.   
“Okay..” she said, looking at him sceptically.   
She threw the cup. It sailed across the room and was about to shatter against the door when Khadgar threw his spell and the cup exploded and turned into a shower of soft white feathers.   
She laughed and clapped him “Very impressive” his grin fell when she added “you can clean that up.”  
“You’re a ruthless woman” he said as she scrunched her nose at him in an attempt to look innocent. Gently lifting and moving her legs, he crawled up the bed to lie beside her, wrapping his arm around her shoulders. She rested her head on his chest and slid one of her legs in between his.   
“Are you hungry?” he asked, just like he had done every half an hour for the past two days.   
“A little” she said, sighing in content. She watched as his right hand yet again crackled with magic and a second later a muffin, fresh from the kitchens no doubt, appeared there. He peered down and smiled at her as he handed it to her.  
“Taria’s going to kill you if you keep scaring the cooks with that” she teased as she sat up and began to eat. It was fresh, deliciously so, and melted on her tongue it was so good.   
He chuckled “It’s worth it for you.” He shrugged, one hand rested behind his head. She smiled around another bite.  
She had never been unhappy before Khadgar, but she would be lying if she said he didn’t make her happier, more than she ever thought any man could. Everything was brighter with him around. He worshipped her and she adored him in return.  
“I love you, you know that right?” he asked, rubbing the outside of her thigh.   
She blushed and nodded. Of course she knew. He told her at least twice daily.  
“I love you too.” She said a moment later, brushing crumbs away from the corner of her mouth.   
“You should” he said, giving her thigh a squeeze “I don’t know where you’d find anyone else stupid enough to nearly kill the richest merchant in all of Silvermoon City to defend your honour.” He bragged.   
She laughed and he smiled, he loved to make her laugh. Beneath all her military bravado and that ruthless persona she put on with her armour she was a beautiful, kind hearted woman “I would have torn his spine out if he’d tried to hurt you.” She proclaimed. Well, kind hearted to those close to her.   
“I don’t think Taria would’ve been very happy with that. Not only would trade between Silvermoon and Stormwind fall apart completely but imagine the mess.” He joked.   
“It’s worth it for you.” She echoed him.   
He sat up quickly, grasped the back of her head and stole a chaste kiss “You’re incredible” he whispered against her lips before dropping back down onto the pillow.   
She chuckled “What, you never had a girl offer to murder an innocent man to protect you before?” she asked, taking another bite of the muffin.  
“Hmm no, no actually I haven’t, this is definitely a first” he said, feigning sincerity. She fell silent as she went back to eating the muffin before it got cold. They were always better warm. And Khadgar lay watching her in a happy silence.   
Once she was finished he handed her a cup of water then pulled her to lie against his chest again.   
“You want to see something?” he asked softly and she nodded against his chest.  
His right hand was full of magic again and he swept it across the air above them. A strip of the night sky appeared above them where his hand had glided through the air. It was not the sky she knew, the sky above Stormwind. This was something different. The sky here was clearer, free of light pollution and she could see what must’ve been a thousand stars, basking in the pale glow of an almost full moon bigger than any she had ever seen above Stormwind.  
He smiled when he heard her gasp quietly. She lifted her head to look up at him “Khadgar it’s beautiful” she whispered. He kissed her in reply. She responded to the softness of his plump lips enthusiastically.   
“Where is it?” she asked a moment later when her head was back rested on his chest.  
“It’s the sky above Dalaran.” He told her “I used to stare at it for hours on end. I used to think it was the most beautiful thing in the world.” He said.  
“Used to?” she inquired.   
“Until I met you.”  
She looked up at him again and smiled “You’re a smooth talker. Did Anduin teach you that?”  
He chuckled at her disbelief “I’m serious” he insisted “I fell in love with you the second I laid my eyes on you.”  
She at him sceptically “Khad. The first time we met Anduin was escorting you to examine a dead body.” She reminded him.  
“Yes” he nodded “and I looked at you over that dead body and fell in love.”   
“How romantic” she teased, shaking her head.   
He hooked a finger under her chin and stroked his thumb across her cheek “I’m serious Porenn. I loved you since the first second I saw you, even if I didn’t realise at first, I did. There’s nothing I wouldn’t do for you.” He promised.   
She blinked and stared at him. She’d never expected to fall in love and be loved in return but here she was and instead of being filled with terror, everything felt so right “I don’t know what made you fall for me, but I’m glad it did.” She said, before leaning up and moulding her mouth against his.

When Khadgar woke in the morning he found himself wrapped around her from behind, still holding her in his arms tightly.  
They had been away for hours, admiring the sky above Dalaran whilst he named all the stars and constellations for her.  
She was still asleep, breathing softly and still holding onto one of the little flowers he had made for her last night. He placed a hand on her forehead and smiled. Her fever had finally broken.   
He leaned over to kiss her cheek before settling back down behind her, pulling her tighter into him and falling back into sleep.


End file.
